[ To Love a Raccoon ] [ Tiny Sable Paws ] [ In My Heart ] [ Among the Fields ] [ Raccoon Spirit of the Trees ] [ I Saved a Life Today ] [ Traces ] [ With These Two Hands ] [ A Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Plea ] [ The Eyes of Innocence ] [ Instructions For My Opossum ] [ Little Brown Rabbit ] [ Calls of The Sandhills ] [ Raccoon Babe ] [ Tortoises ] [ Raccoons in Winter ] [ Rainbow Bridge ]

 

"Tiny Sable Paws" Tiny sable paws pad gently on the pavement The streetlights glow illuminates curious, lucid orbs He cringes as cars rush past, tousling his silky fur, Sending pebbles hurling at his masked face Blinding lights, deafening roars  As he makes his way through the treacherous obstacle course The merciless drivers pay no heed His ringed tail is bristled with fright, Looking like a scouring brush even as he reaches safety A dumpster, the reeking object of his pursuit Smiles a toothless grin and emits a foul breathe He leaps on powerful hind legs, tottering at the brim Scavenges through the waste, finding only a sandwich crust before the men chase him out again, yelling “Bandit! Thief!” He clasps the precious morsel protectively in his jaws As a lioness does her cub, He wanders on and finds a greasy puddle, slick with motor oil Mesmerizing melted rainbows When he touches with a tentative paw, his agile fingers recoil Shaking, launching countless glistening beads into flight Tiny sable paws gently on the pavement An ancient memory passes Of a time when moist earth and soothing grass Welcomed his weary paws, When the gurgling brook splashed playfully About the rocks, and teemed with silverfish When man greeted him in an awed whisper, as  “Wee-Kah Tebalelga” * * Dakota Sioux, (Meaning Magic One With Painted Face)